The United States Coast Guard (USCG) repatriated five rafters to Cuba on Tuesday who had been rescued by a commercial vessel in the Yucatán Channel the previous week.
The U.S. border agency reported through a statement published on its digital platforms that, on Wednesday, May 14, the crew of a commercial vessel notified agents from District Seven of the Coast Guard that they had rescued five Cuban citizens from an "unsafe boat."
On Saturday, the crew of the coast guard vessel Isaac Mayo met with the ship "to take custody of the five foreigners while awaiting their future disposition."
Although the USCG did not mention it explicitly, it can be inferred from the coincidence of the data that it concerns the five immigrants rescued the previous Wednesday by the Carnival Paradise cruise, from Carnival Cruise Line, after they were found in danger, aboard a small boat, south of Cape San Antonio, at the western tip of Cuba.
A , released days ago by U.S. media, revealed that the five individuals who requested the rescue were part of a larger group, and they were all traveling on the same vessel.
However, the other rafters refused to board the cruise ship, even though the crew provided them with water and food before they continued their journey. Their destination remains unknown.
Carnival's official communication did not specify the identity and nationality of the individuals rescued, but it did indicate that the U.S. Coast Guard had been alerted to the rescue and coordinated their transfer.
After completing the rescue, in accordance with international maritime protocols for assisting people in distress at sea, the Carnival Paradise continued its itinerary towards Jamaica.
In the statement published this Tuesday, the Coast Guard revealed that since the beginning of the fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025), on October 1, its crews have repatriated a total of 103 migrants to Cuba, compared to the 749 people intercepted and returned to the island in fiscal year 2024 and the 6,618 in the 2023 period.
The USCG emphasized that “any person attempting to migrate illegally by sea will be intercepted and repatriated to their country of origin or departure, in accordance with U.S. law and policy.”
"Do not venture into the sea and risk your life just to be repatriated and denied legal entry to the United States in the future," warned Lieutenant Cameron Box, an officer of the Seventh District of the USCG, to potential migrants.
The number of Cuban rafters repatriated by the U.S. Coast Guard in the last eight months indicates a significant reduction in the migratory flow from the island across the Florida Straits in FY 2025.
According to the latest reports from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in recent months illegal migration of Cubans to the U.S. has experienced a drastic decline. In March, there were only 132 entries via unauthorized means, and in April, the numbers remained extremely low, with 130 irregular entries, both across the land borders and by sea.
The tightening of immigration policies by the administration of President Donald Trump has had a significant impact on the behavior of those who are trying to leave Cuba amidst a severe economic and social crisis that persists.
The causes of Cuban migration, such as the economic crisis—characterized by the scarcity of essential products, the inefficiency of basic services, and inflation—along with repression, lack of freedoms, and social insecurity, have not disappeared, but the routes to the United States have become increasingly inaccessible.
Despite this, there are still Cubans who see only one way out: to embark on a dangerous sea voyage or cross the land borders with the U.S., putting their lives at risk.
Even in recent months, there have been frequent reports of Cuban rafters arriving on the coasts of Mexico or rescues of castaways in the waters of the Gulf or the Caribbean Sea.
This Sunday, eight Cubans - six men and two women - were detained by Mexican authorities after arriving at the port of El Cuyo, in the state of Yucatán, following the sinking of the vessel they were traveling on.
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